Tag: Sam LaPorta

Lions DE Marcus Davenport out for season; LB Derrick Barnes to miss ‘significant’ time

Campbell confident with depth on his roster

ALLEN PARK — Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport is done for the season after an elbow injury in the win at Arizona on Sunday.

Linebacker Derrick Barnes, who took a cut block to his right knee early in the game, will be out for a significant amount of time but there is no exact timeframe because testing is not complete. It’s unknown at this point if he will require surgery.

Not great news to lose two defensive starters, but coach Dan Campbell said on Monday the roster is built to handle this.

“It’s not our first rodeo, we’ve been through this. We got hit like this immediately in ‘21. I pretty much said coming out of that year, we would never have another year where we felt like this got on us,’’ Campbell said.  “That’s why you have a 69-man roster because everyone of those guys is going to have to help you at one point of another.’’

The team knows it’s next man up.

“We don’t bat an eye. We acknowledge there are some good players that can be down but this is your opportunity now, next man step up and help us,’’ Campbell said. “There’s no looking back, nobody cares, nobody feels sorry for us, we just move forward.’’

Barnes has been playing lights-out during the first three games. 

“It’s going to hurt to lose Barnes, Barnes is playing at a high level. But if it’s going to happen in any room the linebacker room gives you faith, all of those guys can play. We have a ton of faith in those guys,’’ Campbell said.

On Sunday they were already missing linebacker Alex Anzalone, who was sidelined with a concussion, and then lost Barnes early in the game.

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez started with Jack Campbell who was making the calls. Jalen Reeves-Maybin saw action as did Ben Niemann. Campbell said Niemann didn’t take any of those reps in practice but he stepped in and didn’t miss a beat.

Defensive end Josh Paschal, who played 18 defensive snaps on Sunday, will help fill the gap left by Davenport’s absence.

“Paschal, this is going to be big for him, he’s going to take a load over there now and he played an outstanding game. I thought he played really well yesterday,’’Campbell said. “He’s physical,  continues to grow. We’re going to need him to step up and we have all the faith in the world he will.’’

Campbell had better news with the others who were injured Sunday. Defensive lineman Alim McNeill and tight end Sam LaPorta (ankle) are day to day. Brian Branch is in concussion protocol. 

The Lions have an extra day of rest because they don’t play until Monday night. Then their bye week comes the first weekend of October which willt give them extra time to heal.

UP NEXT: Seattle Seahawks (3-0) at Detroit Lions (2-1) at 8:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, at Ford Field.

Detroit Lions Sam LaPorta preps for second-year after finding much success as a rookie

ALLEN PARK — For Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, what a difference a year makes. 

The 2023 first-round draft pick excelled as a rookie and now he feels much more comfortable on the field less than a week into training camp.

“Personally when I showed up in the springtime (last year) you’re trying to take in as much information as possible. This year I come back in the springtime, I know a lot of the installs obviously so it was a great steppingstone to start off,’’ LaPorta said on Saturday. “Continuity, it’s great right now, we’re clicking right now, it’s early in camp but we have to keep building on it.’’

In LaPorta’s rookie season he had 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also broke the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end, along with breaking Lions’ franchise records for receiving yards and touchdowns by a rookie tight end. 

Last season the Lions came up short in the NFC Championship game — one half away from the Super Bowl. While it’s a team game, the offense was key to the playoff run and the 12-5 season.

Quarterback Jared Goff signed a contract extension in the offseason, but not many changes were made to the offense which did lose WR Josh Reynolds.

Wide receiver Jameson Williams is stepping up and put on a show at training camp on Saturday.

“Fast, explosive, he’s getting in and out of his breaks really well. Memorizing his splits, all the little details are really coming along with Jamo and you see that,’’ LaPorta said.

For the tight end, he’s working to refine the details.

“There’s a bunch of guys coming off all-Pro seasons, the top 100 list is coming out, it’s awesome to see so many of our guys on it,’’ LaPorta said. “Just like everybody else, just kind of take small steps forward in a bunch of little aspects in my game. It’s truly what separates the good players from the great players in this league is small increments.’’

He spent a few days in Los Angeles working out with Goff before training camp. 

“It may not be actual results that you see on a day-to-day basis, but then when you look back for months and like a calendar year, like goodness this is how we were operating a year ago and this is where we are now just four days into training camp,’’ LaPorta said.

(UP NEXT: The Lions have Sunday off from training camp. On Monday they will wear pads for the first time since camp started on Wednesday.)

Detroit Lions reveal new uniforms with a black alternate at Dan Campbell’s request

DETROIT — The black Detroit Lions jerseys have returned in part thanks to coach Dan Campbell.

In 2021, before he had coached his first Lions game, he made a request to Rod Wood, team president.

“We were in the draft room and he said, ‘Hey, Rod when can we get the black jerseys back?’ I said, ‘I’ll make you a deal, when you win the division, I’ll bring the black jerseys back. I went out on a limb and thankfully he delivered.’’

Campbell  had worn the black jerseys when he was a Lions tight end, so to him they were a throwback. 

So the coach held up his part of the deal when the Lions clinched the NFC North on Dec. 24.

And on Thursday night, the black jerseys (which were actually two years in the making) were introduced as the new alternate uniform at a reveal party at Ford Field for season ticket holders. Also revealed were new home and road uniforms with bold numbers and details that stand out. Campbell was welcomed with a standing ovation 

“The black ones seem to be the hit for a lot of people. Kerby (Joseph) was the perfect person to wear it too, we kind of lucked out with him volunteering,’’ Wood said. “The black with the black or we can wear blue pants with it, it’s going to be awesome.’’

Joseph ran onto the stage during his turn to “model” the uniform and hammed it up. It’s what the defensive back does. In fact, Joseph has been known to do a flip out onto the field. Wood advised him against it for the big reveal.

The blue numbers are a standout on the black jerseys.

“Honestly blue is my favorite color, but I think this blue is unique. It really pops. When we go out on the field it will pop,’’ Joseph said. “I feel this blue really stands out, I think it’s the boldness. See how big the numbers are?’’

What’s so special about black jerseys? “They’re like black Air Force 1s. We’re atomic when we wear these,’’ Joseph said.

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill modeled the road white uniform which has the word “Detroit” written above the number on front, while tight end Sam LaPorta was the first on stage with the new home blue jersey. Along for the ride were three Lions legends — Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson and Chris Spielman.

On the inside collar are embroidered words: One Pride, Motor City and 313. Also, even the white and black jerseys are blue inside the collar. Because after all, Detroit is a blue collar town. It’s a motto that served the Lions well last season.

(The NFL draft, which will take place in Detroit, starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, with the first round. Rounds 2-3 begin at 7 p.m. on April 26 and the draft winds up starting at noon on April 27.)